Road Trip to DC

Road Trip to DC

In a few weeks I'll be going down to Washington DC for a few days and will have a fellow hot dog enthusiast with me and will be taking 95 down from ny. Anyone have suggestions for a lunch stop? We will be staying in Falls Church Va any ideas for local places to eat there ? Thank I have asked in the past and have not been disappointed in any of the places I did stop in that were recommended. THANKS

In a few weeks I'll be going down to Washington DC for a few days and will have a fellow hot dog enthusiast with me and will be taking 95 down from ny. Anyone have suggestions for a lunch stop? We will be staying in Falls Church Va any ideas for local places to eat there ? Thank I have asked in the past and have not been disappointed in any of the places I did stop in that were recommended. THANKS

You will be venturing dangerously close to Charlie's Pool Room. Which I consider the "Holy Grail" of hot dog joints. And I am not alone in that assessment. Set your GPS for Alpha, and tell Joe & John we ALL said hello. The rest of your trip will be all downhill from there.

The Falls Church area (where I live) has an amazing assortment of ethnic restaurants. Eden Center is an all-Vietnamese shopping center with the best banh mi at Song Que. Annandale, VA just up the road is virtually all Korean so try the BBQ at Ye Chon. Pistone's as mentioned above is an old school Italian place that is kind of fun. For great American food, Old Hickory Grill is terrific. Anthony's on W. Broad is an old time diner. I've never been there but it sure looks authentic.

Not sure where you're leaving from, but I always take 295/301/50 from NYC (or general area; part of the ride is just parallel to NJ Tpke) to DC.It is an alternate route (you can get more info as to details) that is much nicer than 95, quieter, even pretty if you go off thru some small towns in EAstern Shore. The route goes from NJ to DE via Eastern Shore MD over Bay Bridge via Annapolis to DC. It is a little bit longer but much more pleasant. Many places to stop en route, esp. near Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

In addition to Ben's Chili Bowl, which is very good, I also recommend Weenie Beenie in Shirlington, a little past the Pentagon on 395. Good chili dogs and chili smokes, and I also like the chopped bbq with slaw and they give you a packet of Texas Pete Hot Sauce too.

If you are craving a good burger at a great price, I suggest going to : Ray's Hell-Burger 1725 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22209Phone: 703-841-0001 President Obama has a craving for these burgers from time to time.

As much as I want to hate this place (the whole idea of a concept restaurant is always off-putting to me), I have to admit that they now serve the best hot dogs in DC. Their "ode to Ben's" half-smoke is much better than the original half-smoke from Ben's. My favorite is the Pennsylvania Dutch dog that they serve on a pretzel roll with sauerkraut and mustard. It's just not a place where you'd want to sit and enjoy the atmosphere with the lines of people waiting for their food and the gimmick furnishing.

The best thing served at Ben's is no longer the half-smokes but rather the ribs at Ben's Next Door. There's still nothing like the experience of sitting in the original place though.